Boiler-cleaner.



E; RANKIN.

BOILER CLEANER. APPLICATION man MAY 28, 914.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.-

EDMUND RANKIN, 0F LINCOLN, ILLINOIS.

BOILER-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

Application led May 28, 1914. Serial No. 841,528.

T0 all tf1/10m t may con cern Be it known that I, EDMUND RANKIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lincoln, in the county of Logan and State of lllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boiler-Cleaners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for blowing olf or removing scum, dirt. foam and sediment which rises to the surface of the water in steam boilers, and its object is to provide a novel and improved device of this kind which can be applied to locomotive and stationary boilers with equal facility, a float controlled skimmer pipe being provided which is adjustable so that it may be set at any desired depth, and which is so mounted that it stays level with the boiler. This object is attained by means of a combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of a fragment of a steam boiler showing the device in operative position therein; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring specifically to the drawing, 10 denotes an ordinary steam boiler, the structure of which is immaterial to the present invention, in view of which it need not be described. 0n the outside of one of the end walls of the boiler is mounted a blow-off valve 11 which is connected to a nipple or pipe 12 mounted in said wall and passing into the boiler, said pipe being located above the normal water level. To the pipe 12 is flexibly connected a skimmer 13 in the form of a pipe having an inlet slot 14; and inlet perfor-ations 15. Either one or both of these forms of inlets may be provided. The inlets are in the top of the pipe.

T he skimmer pipe 13 has a flexible connection with the blow-off pipe 12 and it is rendered buoyant by floats. A float 16 is located at the free end of the skimmer pipe, and adjacent to the inner end of the pipe, on each side thereof, is located a float 17. The free end of the skimmer pipe carries a forwardly extending bracket arm 18 to which is pivoted, on one side thereof, as indicated at 19, to swing in a vertical plane, a stem 20 which carries the float 16. The stem 20 has a curved slot 21 near its juncmer pipe 13 is connected.

tion with the fioat 16, through which slot passes a clamping bolt 22 which is screwed 'into the bracket arm 18. rlhe slot 21 is curved on an arc having for its center the pivot 19. Upon loosening the bolt 22, the fioat 16 maybe swung up or down to place theskimmer pipe 13 at any depth below the surface of the water. The floats 17 are also adjustable in the same manner as the fioat 16, they being carried by stems 23 pivoted at 24 to the sides of a hollow coupling member 25 to which the inner end of the skim- The stems 23 have curved slots 26 through which pass clamping bolts 27 which are screwed into the coupling member.

To the inner end of the blow-off pipe 12 is connected a hollow coupling member 28 which is connected by a pivoted arm 29 to the coupling member 25, whereby the flexible or pivoted support of the skimmer pipe 13 is had. The arm 29 is hollow and has reduced side portions 30 at its ends which seat rotatably in side openings in the coupling members. Pivot bolts 31 passing centrally through the end portions of the arm and the respective coupling members hold said parts together. rllhe hollow of the arm is in communication with the hollows of the coupling members, and the scum, etc., taken up by the skimmer pipe 13 passes into the coupling member 25, and through the hollow of the arm into the hollow of the coupling member 28, and thence by the way of the pipe 12 to the blow-olf valve 11. The arm 29 is located on one side of the coupling members, and on the opposite side, said members are connected by a pivoted link 32, held by the bolts 31, to take the strain olf the joint. On the end of the arm 29 which is connected to the coupling member 28 are top and bottom lugs 33 which are in the path of stop lugs 34 on said coupling member, to limit the upward and downward swing of the arm, and the corresponding motion of the skimmer pipe 13.

The device hereinbefore described is highly eflicient in operation and it can be readily applied to any ordinary steam boiler-stationary or locomotive. The skimmer pipe is held absolutely level by the arrangement of floats shown, the forward and side fioats being far enough apart so that the pipe floats at the depth it is set by the adjustment of the floats, each oat being adustable as hereinbefore described. If the device is applied to locomotive boilers, the skimmer pipe remains level with the water When the boiler tilts on a grade. The scum, etc., is taken from both sides of the boiler, and the outlet is larger than the inlets of the skimmer pipe to give a strong suction. The skimmer pipe should be about twothirds the length of the boiler so that the scum, etc., may also be taken from the ends of the boiler. The skimmer pipe and its flexible connection may be made in different lengths vaccording to the dimensions of the boiler. K

As the blow-off valve 11 is usually located at the rear end of the boiler, a means'is provided for operating the saine from the boiler front, said means comprising a cable 35 Which is passed around a pulley 36 on the stem of the valve and around a pulley 37 mounted in a suitable manner on the front end of the boiler. On the rear end of the boiler is mounted'a guide pulley 38 for the cable. The pulley 37 has hand grips 39 for operating the same.

I claim:

l. The combination With a steam boiler, of a blow-ofi:l pipe, a skimmer, pivoted floats carried by the skimmer, means for locking the floats in fixed position relative to the skimmer, and a flexible connection between the skimmer and the blow-off pipe.

2. The combination with a steam boiler, of a blow-ollil pipe, a skimmer flexibly connected to said blow-off pipe, a float carried by the'outer end of the skimmer, floats carried by the inner end of the skimmer on opposite sides thereof, said floats being pivoted, and means for locking the floats in fixed position relative to the skimmer.

Inv testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of tvvo Witnesses.

EDMUND RANKIN.

Witnesses:

ROBERT HUMPHREY, A. S. ANDERSON.

Copies fof this patent may be obtained .for five cents each'. by addressing che Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, 1D. C. 

